This is book three of The Collegium Chronicles.
In Mercedes Lackey's classic coming-of-age series, the orphan Magpie pursues his quest for his parents' identity with burning urgency--while also discovering another hidden talent and being trained by Nikolas, the King's Own Herald, as an undercover agent for Valdemar. Shy Bard-Trainee Lena has to face her famous but uncaring father, Tobias Marchand, one of Valdemar's most renowned Bards. And Healer-Trainee Bear must struggle against his disapproving family, who are pressuring Bear to quit the Healers' Collegium because he lacks the magical Healing Gift.
Each of the three friends must face his or her demons and find their true strength as they seek to become full Heralds, Bards and Healers of Valdemar.
Synopsis[]
The three Collegia hold an open day to celebrate completion of the new Collegia and to educate the public. Mags is busy playing Kirball for an adoring public and spying for King’s Own, Herald Nikolas, while Bear is busy training people to use his healing kits. Meanwhile Lena is devastated that she has been given no solos in a concert organised by her father, but his protégé has been given three. Mags gives her some much needed advice to be the better person and become friends with the protégée Farris.
Nikolas decides to make Mags his full apprentice and integrate him into his intelligence network. The pair start spending time in Haven using Nikolas’ persona Willy the Weasel, a pawnbroker, to collect information. A tip-off from one of the Weasel’s customers leads to discovering the dead bodies of the foreign agents from the fake trading delegation, and identifying two new agents have taken their place. The two agents Stone and Ice, prove hard for Mags to track.
Bear is excited and terrified to find out that his proposal to re-break and heal Amily’s leg has been approved, and he is to oversee the entire operation. Mags, and the Collegia students and staff help Bear realize what he needs to plan the operation. Bear also discovers that his father had hired another healer, Cuburn to spy on him and report back Bear’s “crimes.”
Mags goes undercover as a streetwise bully to capture a group of children used as messengers by the now-dead spies. He and Nikolas are shocked to discover the children had been ordered to leave messages for "our men on the hill." The implications are dreadful; who amongst the Heralds, Bards, Healers, Guard and Trainees could be working against Valdemar? Nikolas orders the mission shut down and refuses to explain why. Bear and Amily are dismayed to find out the operation has been postponed.
Lena has befriended Farris and discovers that he is the latest in a series of protégés who have had their work stolen by the famous Bard Marchand. Lena surmises that Marchand hides his crime by convincing the protégés to live in obscurity. In an unusually brave move, Lena presents the evidence to Bardic Dean Lita and Marchand is called to face the charges. Marchand is banned from having any more protégés but still continues to have an influence over Lena.
During the hot summer, fights start breaking out amongst Mags and his friends. While trying to escape the heat and his friends, Mags encounters the Valdemar Heartstone and discovers why Amily’s operation had been cancelled. ForeSeers had experienced visions of Amily being kidnapped. Knowing this could lead to the destruction of the Herald Web, King Kiril and Nikolas postponed the operation. They plan to lure out the kidnappers during an upcoming festival.
Amily, Bear and Mags confront Nikolas and offer an alternate plan to lure out the kidnappers: an ambushed ambush. Mags is confronted by Stone and Ice during the kidnapping attempt on Amily and realizes that they have orders to capture him as well. Stone and Ice escape but one of their informants, a Palace servant, gives himself up. When interrogated, the servant Pawel reveals he and the foreign agents are working for Karse. It is also revealed that the agents have two other informants, a Healer and a Bard.
Bard Marchand invites Mags and Amily to a concert at a nobleman's house, but Amily is kidnapped by Stone and Ice on the way. Mags and Dallen are knocked out while trying to pursue the pair and are revived by Prince Sedric. Marchand is interrogated and it is revealed he had been bribed by Stone and Ice for information, but denies any wrongdoing. Mags realizes the Heartstone knows how to track Stone and Ice and convinces it to show him. The Heartstone reveals the foreign agents are the cause of all the fights breaking out. Cuburn is later reveled to be the other informant and is suspected of being forced into keeping Amily drugged under duress.
Mags and his friends come up with a plan to capture Stone and Ice: go door-knocking in Haven and asking if the inhabitants have seen the men. Mags eventually tracks down the agents and leads them across a roof-top chase into the Heralds' trap. Stone and Ice are captured but are killed by the talismans they wear. Cuburn and Marchand are punished and sentenced to serve in remote parts of Valdemar. Bear and his team of Healers successfully fix Amily's leg over the summer.
Characters[]
Main Character[]
- Herald-Trainee Mags
Major Characters[]
- Dallen - Companion to Mags
- Healer-Trainee Bear - Mags’ best friend
- Bardic-Trainee Lena - Mags’ and Bear’s best friend and daughter of Tobias Marchand
- Herald Nikolas - King’s Own and Mags’ mentor
- Amily - Nikolas’ daughter and Mags’ sweetheart
- Dean Caelen - Dean of the Herald Collegium
- Tobias Marchand - Famous Bard and Lena's father
- Cuburn - Healer who spies on Bear and reports to Bear’s father
- Stone - Foreign agent and assassin working for Karse
- Ice - Foreign agent and assassin working for Karse
Minor Characters[]
- Herald-Trainee Gennie - Captain of the South Kirball team; Mindspeaker
- Herald-Trainee Pip - Member of the South Kirball team
- Herald-Trainee Halleck - Member of the South Kirball team
- Corwin - Guard Trainee; Foot on the South Kirball team
- Jeffers - Rider on the South Kirball team
- Lord Wess - Rider on the South Kirball team
- Herald-Trainee Riker - Captain of the North Kirball team
- Crown Prince Sedric - Heir to the Valdemaran throne and fiancé of Lydia
- Farris Grevner - Bard Marchand’s protégée
- Bear's father and brother
- Myca - Artificer student
- Pawel - servant
- Lord Charliss - young noble with suggestions to help Bear
- Grig - Charliss' cousin
- Special team - Tal Merrick, Kan Betler, Jun Lysle, Ref Graden, and Serj Karmas (forensics)
Referenced Characters[]
- King Bedwyn
- Healer Sofrens - Nikolas brought him to Haven
- Jakyr
- Lydia
- Herald Rashi - draws pictures of things people "show" her in a type of Mindspeech
Places[]
Referenced places[]
Terms[]
Gallery of cover images[]
